Sunset and Nightlights

I managed to have a window seat on my way home recently...

Fiber Arts Friday: Fiber Celebration, part 8

With my swatching complete and after getting hand measurements from the intended recipient.... twice, because the first set are in an ultra-secure location that even I don't remember where I put them ... I laid out my way points for the mittens.  As I mentioned before, I don't have a detailed pattern for these mittens, but a general guideline and a kitting technique.

The mitts are not a surprise.  She knows I'm working on them.  I promised to make them for her more than a few years ago.

As a general rule, Hubba and I think and talk about things before we take action.  So it frustrates me when people are surprised by our decisions... ie, raising alpacas and dogs, moving to a farm, moving across states.  None of these things happened on a whim.

As a point of reference... the idea for these mitts was added to my Ravelry queue in September 2015.  The first conversation about this style with the recipient happened shortly after, but the first conversation about "Gunnar Mittens" happened well before then.

It is now November 2018.... so we're talking about more than 3-years from the time the idea was first talked about to the point where knitting is in progress.

Now deciding to spin yarn and knit mittens is not a life-style decision... or, maybe it is.  ;-)  But the timing for when this happened has more to do with other projects in progress and my goals related to fiber-related skills than anything else.  But it represents our modus operandi of working on the long game... these mittens will be entered into a competition before they are gifted to the very knit-worthy recipient.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Things that Work: Wheelbarrow

My old wheelbarrow is finally spent.

We replaced the air-filled tire with a solid one about 5 years ago.

The cracks around the fasteners appeared over the summer, but have gotten big enough that the wheelbarrow is no longer reliable.

The new one is about the same size, but narrower and taller, with a longer lever.

I love a good wheelbarrow.  It's such a simple device and extremely useful on the farm... and at 9 years, I think we got our money's worth!

Wheelbarrows definitely work!

Fiber Arts Friday: Fiber Celebration, part 7

Last week I mentioned that I needed to practice casting on with two strands.  The instructions in my book aren't quite clear, so I went to YouTube.

I learned that casting-on with two strands is basically the Long-Tail Cast-on, which is my standard cast on.

The Twined Knit swatch on US2 needles yielded about 6.5 stitches per inch and a dense fabric. 

I think this is it for mittens.  Hooray!  I'm excited to start knitting this project.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Painting

You don't buy a house because of it's color.

You buy it because of it's location and features.  The color can be changed.

Finally, after 9 years, the directions to our house no longer include the phrase, "baby poop yellow."

Making a Difference

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to mentor a young woman who is considering Aerospace Engineering as a career path.

I don't talk about my Day Job much on this blog.  Mostly because what happens there is not for me to share.

I am a degreed Mechanical Engineer and have had the opportunity to work on many flying objects.  But my path to becoming an engineer happened because of one very short conversation with a community college councilor.

I wasn't really prepared for college, and I certainly hadn't been prepared for engineering school.  As a result, I make it a priority to spend time with early college students, high school students, and occasionally even younger people to talk about careers and future plans or goals when the opportunity arises.

I'm not part of any formal program.  I'm just willing to share my experiences and listen to young people whenever I have the chance.

I've always thought it's important for kids to have multiple adults to talk with, observe, and listen to.  I've also always thought that the best leaders do so by example.

I'm very impressed by the STEM opportunities made available to kids these days... and very proud of the progress made for women in STEM careers since I was choosing my direction in life.

We have a long way to go, especially with the current rhetoric in and around our government.

If you are a woman over the age of 18, please exercise your 19th Amendment Right this week.

If you are a non-white man over the age of 18, please exercise your 15th Amendment Right this week.

If you are anyone reading this post, please ensure you are working for the greater good, for unity, for peace, and lifting others up.

Helping others is good for you, but it's especially good for them.

Fiber Art Friday: Fiber Celebration, part 6

I started swatching with my Tibetan Mastiff, opposite-spun yarn  last week.

I found my US3 needles with an alpaca project,

and a cashmere project.

But the short circs were free...  I think we're close with the US3 needles.

So I also tried US2.

Both of these swatches are standard knit.

I feel like the US2 is very close to my desired fabric.  So I'm off to practice casting on with two strands and starting a swatch with twined knit technique and US2 needles.

One awesome revelation: I now spin at a fine-enough and consistent-enough quality, that I can use US2 needles on a 3-ply yarn.  :-D

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!